The iPad Workflow

Apple's latest iPad features a high resolution Retina display with a wider color gamut.

When Apple launched the original iPad back in 2010, photographers quickly embraced this sleek, portable device as an elegant way to present their images. But if you think of the iPad primarily as a digital picture frame, think again. The release of the third-generation iPad with its high resolution Retina display makes the strongest case yet for the iPad as a professional production tool for photographers on the go, with an expanded role in the image-creation process.

I'm going to show you how to incorporate Apple's latest iPad into three distinct stages of the production workflow: image capture, organization and editing. But first, a few words about its most significant new feature, the Retina display.

Retina display

Like the backlit-LCD displays on previous iPads, the Retina display on the third-generation iPad is an IPS (in-plane switching) screen that allows a much wider viewing angle than the traditional and less expensive TN (twisted nematic) technology. This means you can view the iPad at a variety of off-axis angles without colors noticeably shifting in hue and contrast as they do on most laptop screens. And by all accounts Apple has been able to maintain the impressive unit to unit consistency in color output we've seen in previous iterations of the iPad. There are two areas though in which the Retina display offers a clear advantage over its predecessors.

Resolution and gamut

Sporting a 2048 x 1536 pixel screen, the Retina display offers a native screen resolution of 264 pixels per inch (ppi). For comparison, the iPad 2 had a resolution of 132 ppi and fewer than 1/3 of the Retina display's total pixels. Zooming in on a super-high resolution 36MP digital camera file for a 1:1 screen view reveals a level of clarity and detail that rivals or exceeds the standalone monitor most of us have sitting on our desk. On the Retina display, even slight image defects are easily spotted.

In addition to its impressive resolution, the Retina display offers a significantly expanded color gamut that encompasses a wider range of saturated colors, particularly among reds and blues. In fact, Apple has designed the iPad's color gamut as a nearly identical match to the sRGB color space.

You can read more about this breakthrough in glorious color geek detail on the display testing site DisplayMate. The takeaway though, is that because sRGB is the de facto standard color space for the web, image colors you see on your iPad will closely match those you (or your client) see online, with one caveat.

Color Management...not!

Apple's iOS devices, like the early versions of most web browsers, are not color-managed, meaning they do not honor ICC color profiles. They simply assume that every image exists in the sRGB color space. If you load an image on your iPad with colors defined by say, the Adobe 1998 RGB or ProPhoto RGB color spaces, as shown below, you will not see accurate colors.

These are screenshots from the built-in Photos app on my iPad. Each image is embedded with a different ICC color profile (from left to right): sRGB, Adobe RGB 1998 and ProPhoto RGB. In a color-managed OS all three images will look identical. iOS devices, however, do not honor ICC color profiles and instead assume every image to be in the sRGB space. As a result, only the sRGB image above displays accurate color.

There is a part-time workaround which I'll discuss later, but its important to know that using the iPad as part of a color-critical workflow means ensuring that the images you send to it are rendered in the sRGB color space. If you do that, then right out of the box, the iPad will deliver a more accurate rendition of a wider range of sRGB-defined colors than not only any other mobile device, but the vast majority of laptops as well.

I use the Eye-Fi card with the Canon 5D Mark III. I send the RAW image to the CF card and a small jpeg to the Eye-Fi card in the SD slot. Because the small jpeg has more than enough resolution for the iPad, I can easily get a good sense of what the camera has captured. Small jpegs transfer very quickly over the Eye-Fi link using Direct Mode.

I don't have the need to store the actual full-res images on my iPad. I use it entirely as a high-quality preview and to let clients see what I've shot. My workflow on the CF card remains the same as always.

For actually working on photos, I don't use the Ipad. I do use my Iphone to edit (mildly edit) photos taken on the Iphone using various apps, some of them serious and some for humor, but what I like about Apple is that they seem to be the only ones who understand mirroring.

From the Ipad2 and Iphone 4s, all Apple products are able to mirror. This means that you can hold your Ipad and it will wirelessly transmit your image to a television, projector, etc. so that others can see what you're doing.

For a teacher this is huge. To be able to hold a small, lightweight tablet in one hand,using just fingers and a stylus while FACING your students is invaluable.

In fact, any company making a tablet that can't mirror is wasting my time.

Although I would agree that the iPads resolution is impressive with the retina display, I find the color accuracy inconstant and poor compared with previous versions. I had to return my first one because of a yellow tint across the whole screen, my second one has a slightly warm upper left corner. In addition I compared images on two iPad 3's we have to two calibrated desktop monitors, my laptop and two iPad 1's and everything was close color wise except the iPad3's. they looked horrible in comparison. The iPad 1's looked so much better as far as being in the park color wise. I'm a professional photographer and I would not use this as a tool just based on the color issues and storage space.

No need to say for limitations, they are quite known, but there are several strong sides:

1. lightweight - easy to carry, easy to use handheld.2. battery life - while a long trip you don't bother it drain in the middle of the day.3. backup storage - again you do it on-the-go, very suitable.4. quite accurate colors for preview and for online presentation.5. lots of tools for draft color correction. you can show to a client the colors, the composition and the mood.6. internet. sen it, share it, no need to wait while you have a connection point.

while most of points can be found in many devices, overall integration is the best with iPad's so far.

Folks, if you have never seen Retina display, just STFU, go to the store and take a look at one. There's really no going back to anything with lower pixel density or color gamut. Plus it comes calibrated out of the box, and iPhoto is 5 bucks.

At our portrait studio in NYC, we play slide shows (with music :-) for our clients, proof their photos, arrange wall art, and take credit card payments. All with the iPad (and Apple TV). I can't imagine any other tablet so easy to use, reliable, and perfectly integrated with other Apple devices. What role does it play? Huge.

Then you shouldn't buy any computing device...or any electronic device at all. The places that Apple uses for it's hardware build devices for a myriad of other companies. So while I applaud your convictions, you should stop using all computers and electronic devices immediately, else you'd be labeled a hypocrite.

I suggest using a company like Gazelle to sell all your computers and devices, then take the money and donate it to a human-rights charity. I'm sure you'll do fine without the Internet or cell phones. The world got along just fine without them for a long time. Take care and have fun "off the grid"!

I always put my photos on retina iPad first, then they go to the desktop computer. iPad is the fastest way to find 'blurry' shots and delete them, owing to its combo of fast SSD storage and super-high-res display.

The downsides? Unfortunately, I have found that there are many...

1) There is no way to rate pictures on the iPad or organize them into subfolders.

2) Any "albums" you organize your photos into are lost once they are transferred in via Image Capture. Aperture supports it but I don't know if Lightroom does...

3) Transferring files from iPad to the Mac is a huge, slow chore. You don't get direct Finder-level access to the contents of the iPad. You have to transfer in using an app that's compliant with Apple's PTP standard. The only fully free program included with Mac OS X that does this is Image Capture. It has limited metadata viewing, no filtering options, and I've had it freeze or transfer corrupt files every other time I used it.

I'd like to see tablet devices have the same functionality as laptops before I seriously consider editing photos. I have an Ipad, but I don't use it for editing my pictures. I use my desktop and laptop. I need a mouse and keyboard.

I realize that the Ipad can wirelessly support a keyboard and mouse, but can it support the programs I use? I use Canon's DPP and Adobe's Photoshop Elements. It's what I know and seriously doubt I'll move from these programs in the near future.

So, to your question: No, not yet.

Slightly off-topic, but I find the Ipad incredibly useful for songwriting. I play music on my Iphone and have it running in a straight line (Irig) to the Ipad. No hiss, no problems with levels, etc. I'm able to record my music digitally at a much more advanced level technically than 24-track studios were doing a decade ago. I can plug in any electrical instrument and play (keyboard, bass, guitar). It's amazing. So the price of Apple producats are worth it to me.

Thanks for this useful roundup (and for ignoring the spew of h8r-b8r comments that inevitably accompany any Apple-centric article.) I was already using Eye-Fi, ShutterSnitch, and Photosmith, but your info has given me lots of good ideas for making them work better together.

One question that might be worth follow-up: I tend to use ShutterSnitch for field review of JPEGs, then load my raw files into Lightroom directly from the memory cards and then use Photosmith for mobile reviewing. The problem is that the initial sync between Lightroom and Photosmith is unbelievably slow (a typical shoot involving several hundred images takes hours to sync.) The Photosmith people say there's a way around that which involves capturing JPEG files onto the iPad and then syncing them post-hoc with the raw files in Lightroom -- but I haven't been able to figure it out. Any tips? Thanks...

This reads like run of the mill Apple fanboy propaganda. The lack of expandable storage and limited storage are deal breakers just for a start. No color management. Moving large files on and off are painfully slow. Non-destructive editing of RAW files?

I recognize this is an attempt to make lemonade from lemons, but the author goes out of his way to avoid the real issues here.

It's simply not a serious tool. It's a toy.

And let me be clear, nothing wrong with toys. You just need to understand the difference between an actual tool and a toy.

before any Lightroom function like on my tablet (iPad or Android) then it's off limit for use for serious photography. Of course if you just want to posting on social media such as facebook, instagram etc, tablets should be sufficient.

Longtime Apple user here. The cost of an iPad, given it's usefulness/functionality (or lack thereof) is just silly. Which is why I don't own one and can't foresee doing so in the near future. And why in the world would anyone interject an iPad into their workflow as an intermediate device when there are tools less expensive and more capable that can accommodate a photographer's workflow start to finish? I don't get it.

For me, I simply use the iPad as a tool when visiting with a client. It's not part of my workflow at all and everything I do is with Photoshop and Lightroom. I used to use a laptop with clients, but have found it much easier with the iPad to show work. Talk about rates, talk about what they want printed etc etc. I treat it as a presentation device only with clients. In that regard, it works very well.

I almost never work on photos in my iPad .I only transfer them from my camera when I´m in the fields or on holidays.With the iPad it´s easy to have a look at them or show them around. At home I transfer them into my iMac and treat them in PS or LR if necessary.

If you are not a 100% professional photographer, you can have much cheaper alternatives:1. Transfer of photos from the camera - using "iPad Connection Kit", which provides a USB connection between the camera and the iPad, or a card reader of SD sized cards.2. Editing - using "Adobe Photoshop Touch" or Apple's iPhoto for iOS.

Can you save your works back to the card to free up the storage in the iPad? Mine does not allow. 16G storage in my iPad3 is just too tiny, and I do not want to pay a lot more money for an iPad with bigger storage. I hate Apple. Time for something else.

HiUnfortunately, the answer is NO.You can connect the iPad to a computer and transfer the photos to it, or upload them to a "Cloud" storage like Apple's, Dropbox (which provides unlimited free storage fof iPhone/iPad or any iOS devices).

Transfering video file into an iPad is a PITA. More trouble than what it is worth.

My wife take movie using her own iPad3. They clogged up the iPad internal storage quickly. She download the movie files, but have a hard time to put it back so the iMovie can accept and edit. iOS6 made it worse. I hate the close Apple garden ecology.

Still yet to work out why anyone one really needs an iPad other than to say ooohhh look at me with the latest kit. I mean, really, 64 GB of storage for £550.... you're 'aving a laugh surely?? Get yourself a half decent laptop with 10x storage and faster for the same money plus it will actually DO things rather than just show stuff.

I sold many weddings by simply showing our portfolio on an iPad. It has proven to be one of our best selling tools ever. I believe the same can be done with any of the half decent and big enough tablets out there, we just happen to have an iPad (first generation). Any laptop pales in comparison as a sales tool.

What you fail to realize is that most of us *already* have a "half decent laptop". But we *still* went out and bought an iPad because it's such a valuable tool. It's the ultimate portfolio tool for a working photographer to show off his portfolios to a client. Much better than a laptop. Not everything is about *saving* money. My iPad helps me *make* money by booking more clients.

Besides, there are tons of other things you can do with an iPad besides just photography stuff. Ultimately, people who still don't *get* the point of an iPad either still have their head in the sand, or probably will never understand.

Poss and T3: I think you both missed Mark's point that he's questioning the incremental value of an iPad within a Workflow (which was the point of the article), vs. a laptop.

I think he realizes that the iPad is good for "showing stuff" -- ie. as you both mention its value as a portfolio exhibitor.. but that's not the gist of the article.

As for the other things an iPad can do, there are smartphones, 7" tablets (android), and other tablets of various sizes and manufacture that can do other other things too; that cost from 1/4 to 1/2 as much.

I couldn't agree more. I own both and the Ipad is USELESS in any business transaction other than simply showing photos; this it admittedly does very well. But to do anything else with it? Seriously...just get a laptop already and bank your business on the right tool for the job.

I've been doing all this for years now on my windows laptop and at significant savings. Xnview is a free program that's an excellent picture manager. My usb port lets me transfer photos easily with no need for wi-fi (which has been hard to find while traveling) or to pay for more cards, and my 256gb hdd has plenty of room. All for $289 at Costco. And no, I don't have the retina display, but then neither do 97% of the people viewing my photos.

In the mobile image management section, I have a hard time understanding where you're proposing the images are sent? If a wedding photographer is 'sitting in the airport' and has a a few 16 gb cards stuffed with photos, are these photos being offloaded to the iPad (dubious that there's enough room)? or to somewhere else?

I use a LR to iPad3 workflow that takes advantage of the Publish Services Feature in LR. I create folders in a iPad Hard Drive that export to jpeg at 60% quality in sRGB color space.

I resize the image to 'short edge' at 3100 pixels at 240 ppi.

Sharpen for screen at High.

When my iPad is connected to iTunes it has the photo section pointing to the top level folder where publish services exports to. Some of my folders are automatically generated - for example Recent Pictures folder is only what I took the past month vs a Best of folder that is manually generated.

Question to DPReview staff: are you going to be flooding the DPReview's home page with news from Connect forever or are you going to just do it for the first week or so until people get more used visiting the actual Connect homepage directly?

Don't get me wrong, I do like this new Connect site and have already read a couple of articles. But don't like seeing both DPReview and Connect mixed up.

I knew Connect existed but wasn't following it until I came through the DPR links. As far as I'm concerned the flood is appreciated...though I expect it to taper off. That being said, in my opinion, it should never go to zero. Why not cross-pollinate at least the key stories? Good work DPR!

I am using iPad “on the go” to quickly assess photos and share with friends. On my last trip to the cottage country I also used iPhoto to resize, auto-enhance and post pictures to my Flickr account.Results are here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/vk-photo/But again, it was just “quick ’n’ dirty” type of processing. Final work was done on my computer at home once I returned from the trip.My tools:iPad 3, camera connection kit, iPhoto and PhotosmithRegards

Reading CF cards with iPad 3:I used a CF card reader plugged into the USB adaptor. Works fine for a 4GB card. With 8GB card it says something like "too much power required". At this point I have to connect the camera to download the JPEGs to the iPad.

Great article - but an urgent request(!) - advice for Aperture users? Was so disappointed that Apple's otherwise great iPhoto for iOS fails to deal with RAW/ Aperture - any suggestions on workflow would be most welcome!

Marc, earlier in the year Apple posted an advert to recruit a development manager who would be tasked with developing, among others, Aperture for iOS. So it is likely there will be a version eventually.However, lightweight tablets don't have the processing grunt for a smooth realtime non-destructive raw workflow.

The current support for raw in iOS is extremely well done, and you CAN work with your raw files in iPhoto iOS. It uses the embedded JPEG rather than the raw data, but at least this makes the files instantly usable (for example Android does not include built in support for raw files and you need an App to extract the thumbnails in a separate step and then have multiple unrelated files to deal with). The iOS solution is very elegant, given the processing limitations.

If you can't accept the embedded JPEG, you can buy raw Apps that will process the raw data for you, but very slowly and far from real time.

It was not clear from the article whether it was possible to load images in Ipad using the camera connection kit, and then transfer the images wirelessly to the PC and consequently have them automatically added to the Lightroom catalog.

It's a two way sync, so you can load images via the connection kit and have those appear in Lr. But if you're shooting raw files, remember storage is limited (relatively speaking) on the iPad. So going from Lr to iPad (where you can send over reduced res JPEGs) is going to be the more efficient option long term.

Yes the storage is limited on the iPad, but according to the workflow you propose one could/should delete the photos from the iPad after transfer to LR, right?I think the sync iPad-to-LR is far more useful than the opposite direction, that's where Photosmith has something really new to offer. Am I missing anything?

I got pretty tired lately by changing my ipad 3 four times (!!) because of an obvious yellow tint on their displays. Never it was a problem to convince support staff of that fact as all displayed Promo ipads did not have that tint and showed it in direct comparison.In this light, it is pretty hard to use the ipad as an photographer's tool, sadly.Only until I found out that in Cydia store (many of the Apple users have to jailbreak it, finally, to get some vital functions out of the device, sadly again) there is a paid app that is called "color profiles", with that you can at least tweak the display to a more neutral rendition or match your PC screen output.

Apple personnell told me several times they know about the problem, but started discussing first after I mentioned that I need it for showing pictures and compared it to my more neutral ipad 1. And that I dont like people look like they had hepatitis. :-( Now, I realized the problem is there with iphones, too, but no surprize.

Thank you so much! I am searching for exactly this kind of Article for over a year. You delivered! Is there a sister Article in the making for Android & Windows ? If not, would you happen to know the Android counterparts for the Apps you mentioned ?

Great article! About Photosmith, I was going to purchase the app after reading it but I found some really bad reviews in the Italian App Store: slow, many bugs, destroys the iPad album, etc.. Has anyone tried it? Can it really be so bad?

We've certainly had our fair share of bugs, and spent the last couple versions ironing out every last reported bug. "Destroying the iPad album" refers to the app using the Photos app to store the photos, and thus cluttering up the Camera Roll. It was an action, like so many, required within the constraints of iOS and the other platforms.

We're working on new features and changes to better accommodate user requests, and are in a constant release cycle.

Thanks to Amadou for the review. Please feel free to direct any specific questions to us on our website and we'll be happy to answer there - we don't want to clog up dpreview's forums! :)

@ChrisI don't use Photosmith so I don't know exactly what it's doing. However, it sounds like its the same routine as Photogene or Snapseed. I'd hardly call putting all edited images in one folder a problem. When people edit on an iPad they are shooting an assignment, not a life's worth of images. So all the "keepers" go into one space. Once transferred back to the mother ship, there's an erase function that should be used. That resets the camera roll to 0.

If people have "cluttered" up Camera Rolls, it sounds more like a person's organizational capabilities rather than the device or app.